Our school district incorporates our "Spring Break" around the Easter holiday. As I type this, today is the final day of our spring break, which means that there is only about a month left of school for my high school girls.
When my kids were in upper elementary and middle school I would dread the amount of time they had home from school over the summer. There just wasn't enough for them to do, and I didn't want to be in charge of entertaining them all day long. But, the lawn can only be mowed once a week - and the other household chores weren't enough to prevent boredom during those long days of summer either.
What is a mom to do? Well, if you haven't already - start planning!
Here are some great ideas for older elementary kids to do over their summer break:
- volunteer at the library (summer reading program, or shelving books)
- volunteer at the local vet (walking pets, cleaning cages, etc.)
- get involved with camps - either as paid help, or as a volunteer
- check out your local area Vacation Bible Schools. Volunteers are a key component of VBS - and older kids are usually very welcome. If you have younger kids - what a great place for them to spend some time making new friends.
- Let them get creative. My youngest daughter loves animals. She spent a couple of her summers being the neighborhood "dog walker". She created her own flyers, and distributed them door-to-door to the neighbors.
- Mother's Helpers. Ask some of the younger moms in your neighborhood if they could use a bit of help once or twice a week. That extra set of hands helping with a preschooler or toddler can be a huge blessing for the mom - and allows your older child to feel like a grown up in the process.
- Yard Care. When my son was a freshman, we contacted a couple of the guys we knew that did lawn service in the area. It was hard work, but it got our boy out of the house, and he was making some money in the process. You could ask a neighbor if they would like some volunteer "help" with their flower beds or gardens.
- Learning Opportunities. Maybe there is a camp at your local college that your child can participate in - make some phone calls. Check your local papers - these are great learning adventures for older kids.
- Swap kids with a friend for a day. Or two. My girls would spend time at a friends house once in a while, and then I would return the favor. They loved the break nearly as much as I did. Like their own little "mini camp" with a friend.
- Grandma Camp. (my personal favorite!) We would arrange with the grandmas for our kids to spend a week. Hands down our favorite part of the summer for many years!
Hope that helps to get the creative juices flowing. With a bit of advanced planning the eleven plus weeks will fly by! Good Luck!
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